1094 - 1119 RP? (title - The Rough, Tough Boyhood of Alf Tupper). 1126 - 1145 RP? (title - Alf Tupper - The Rough, Tough Early Days of a Famous Runner). 1149 - 1160 (title - Alf Tupper's Castle; Alf aged 13, has his home in Malton Castle). 1164 - 1172 RP? (title - A Rough, Tough Summer for Alf Tupper; Aunt Meg; Richard Preece). 1183 - 1198 (title - The Rough, Tough Boyhood of Alf Tupper). RP?; artist Jim Bleach). 1202 - 1217 (title - The Mile of the Masters; artist Jim Bleach). 1227 - 1236 (title - The Tough On The Marathon Trail; artist Tony Harding). 1267 - 1279 (title - A Tough Job For Alf Tupper; artist Jim Bleach). 1283 - 1302 (title - A Thousand Tough Miles for Alf Tupper; artist Tony Harding).

1305 - 1314 (title - Tough tests for Alf Tupper; Alf challenges some of Britain's oldest and strangest records). (artist Jim Bleach). 1318 - 1328 RP of issues 482 - 492 (title - Edinburgh of Bust!; see above entry). 1338 - 1353 (title - Too Tough of Alf Tupper?; artist Jim Bleach). 1370 - 1389 RP of issues 517 - 536 (title - Tough At The Top; see the above entry). 1407 - 1420 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Jim Bleach). 1442 - 1455 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Jim Bleach). 1463 - 1472 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Jim Bleach). 1495 - 1506 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Jim Bleach). 1510 - 1521 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Jim Bleach).

1526 - 1544 RP? (title - Tough of the Track). 1546 - 1562 RP? (title - Tough of the Track). 1573 - 1584 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Jim Bleach; first Tupper series to be printed in full colour). 1585 - 1596 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Carlos Pino; Slim & Tiny join up with Alf as his bodyguards!)). 1620 - 1631 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Carlos Pino). 1632 - 1643 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Mike Dorey). 1644 - 1655 (title - Tough of the Track; artist Carlos Pino). 1656 (One issue complete story; artist Jim Bleach). 1657 (One issue complete story; artist Jim Bleach). Red Dagger issues 2 & 22 - a 64 page compilations of several Tupper stories. (Artist Sutherland).

see also The Hornet 439 - finishes after 454 (title - King Bernard; featuring Bernard Briggs (Hornet series character); and Alf Tupper; artist not known). Alf Tupper is probably the most famous and popular character to have ever appeared in The Victor. Morgyn the Mighty and Braddock are probably the only two other characters who could challenge The Tough of the Track for the top spot in the popularity stakes. Three views of Alf Tupper as drawn by Peter Sutherland. On the left an early view of Alf, in the centre the Alf most readers probably remember and on the right the runner as a young lad. So what is it about this sporting character that makes him so popular? There�s no guns, explosions or much in the way of danger and on the face of it adventures about running, aren�t that exciting. But you would be wrong in thinking this is a boring series. Far from it. The Tupper series has some classic picture stories adapted from the original text stories and in artist Peter Sutherland, the ideal artist (for me anyway), who brought the series to life. For many Sutherland is the artist who is most closely associated with the character.

Later other artists drew the character, but none in my view came close to surpassing Sutherland�s artwork. Below is a potted history of the great runner, to be expanded upon over the coming months. Alf, a working class lad, is always down on his luck, never having enough money for a decent meal or pair of running shoes and living in poor sleeping quarters. Orphaned at an early age, his dad died when he was young and his mother perished in a house fire when he was twelve. Alf was brought up by his rough, tough, uncaring Aunt Meg. His childhood years were difficult he was always being targeted by bullies, usually boys who were older and taller than he was. But Alf is a fighter and he usually gave as good as he got. If he had enemies, he also had many friends, in policemen, teachers, fellow runners and so on. But no matter what is happening to Alf, he lives to run and enjoys the race whether he wins, loses or on rare those occasions, draws. The Tough of the Track always won many races, but he also lost plenty as well. And he was always gracious in defeat.

He learned his trade as an welder and in the beginning usually worked for bosses who were lazy and couldn�t always pay his wages. Alf though gained a reputation for completing jobs on time no matter how hard the work was or how long it took him. Often he would complete a job after having worked all night and then rush off to run in a race and usually �he run �em� that is, he won. In later adventures Alf worked as a welder for motor racing, airline and railway companies. Later still, he was called up to do his National Service in the Royal Artillery and was a fireman for the Brassingford Fire Brigade. He always though, took every opportunity to run in races. He always encountered snobbish runners and bullies, those who were against a runner from �the wrong side of the tracks�. Alf treated them with distain and if the situation demanded it, a upper cut to the chin or a bloody nose usually sorted out the problem. Three other pictures of Alf Tupper as drawn by on the left by Ted Rawlings, centre Josep Marti and on the right, Jim Bleach.

Tragedy struck Alf when he was involved in a hit and run �car accident� which robbed the runner of his sight. (In fact, he had been deliberately targeted by a runner with a grudge against him). Not one to wallow in self-pity, Alf began to learn to walk again and then to run. The runner later regained his sight and the villain was arrested. Alf also represented Great Britain at the Mexico Olympics winning a gold medal. (Tupper learned later that he was born on Tristan da Cunha, a remote volcanic group of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. This was good news for him as he wasn�t selected to run for England in the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. So instead he represented Tristan da Cunha at the Games. (As told in the �Edinburgh or Bust� story). Despite the difficulties The Tough of the Track faced, he was always cheerful, never letting anything get him down. Alf is also fondly remembered for his catch phrases. �I run �em� and �blooming ada� and for his endless enthusiasm for eating fish and chips. None of this eating healthy food nonsense for our Alf!

(Although, in an early story he was found to be eating a plate of jellied eels). An unknown artist's view on the left of the Hornet's version of Tupper, Bernard Briggs and on the right, Alf Tupper. The Tough of the Track also made an appearance in The Hornet alongside Bernard Briggs which was that comic�s answer to Alf Tupper. Briggs main sport though was being a football goalkeeper, although he wasn�t adverse to playing other sports. Briggs and Tupper's relationship was very turbulent, one minute they were the best of friends, the next fighting each other. It was in this series that a female friend of Alf�s and Bernard's called Ada, was nicknamed �Blooming Ada� by Alf. Incidentally, the Briggs/Tupper story King Bernard is well worth tracking down as it is an entertaining read and to my mind a classic story. Note - Bernard Briggs occasionally used the expression �blooming ada� in his stories. Below is the very first picture episode to appear in the Victor featuring Alf. This story is from issue 71. Other episodes from the first series below, are from issues 73 and 76 respectively.

Further stories of the Tough of the Track will be posted as time allows. The next four adventures below are of Alf's and "Flapper" Farmer's attempts to win medals at the Mexico Olympic games as members of the British Olympic team. The below stories are from the series Alf Tupper's Castle. This series sees Alf (aged thirteen) living in Malton Castle. Victor: the Best of Alf Tupper – The Tough of the Track | Now Read This! Victor: the Best of Alf Tupper – The Tough of the Track Posted on By various anonymous and Peter Sutherland, introduced by Morris Heggie (Prion Books) ISBN: 978-1-85375-861-4 Win’s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Better than a Boxing Day kick-about… 8/10 If you grew up British anytime after 1960 and read comics you probably cast your eye occasionally – if not fanatically – over DC Thompson’s venerable “Boy’s Paper” The Victor. The Dundee based company has long been a mainstay of British popular reading and its strong editorial stance has informed and influenced a huge number of household names over the decades.

Post-WWII, Victor was very much the company’s flagship title for action and adventure and featured amongst its grittily realistic pantheon of ordinary stars a perpetually grimy, soot-stained, incorrigibly working class sportsman called Alf Tupper; forever immortalised as The Tough of the Track. Gathered here in another superb hardcover compilation commemorating the truly unique DC Thomson comics experience is a splendid collection of the Running Man’s most impressive exploits, reproduced in the company’s traditional and splendidly evocative two-colour print process. The main tenet of the Thomson adventure philosophy is a traditional, humanistic sense of decency. Talented and determined distance runner Tupper might be a poor, rough, ill-educated working lad, competing in a world of privileged “Toffee-Nosed Swells”, but he excels for the sheer joy of sportsmanship, not for gain or glory. He’s the kind of man most decent folk used to want their kids to grow up into… Hugely friendly, helpful and big-hearted, Alf first appeared in 1949 in a continuing series of prose stories in “Boys Story-Paper” The Rover.

He was created by Bill Blaine and the majority of his exploits were written by Gilbert Lawford Dalton with single illustrations by Len Fullerton, Ian McKay, Fred Sturrock, Jack Gordon, George Ramsbottom, Calder Jamieson and James “Peem” Walker. By the end of the 1950s the publishers were finally accepting that their readers no longer wanted all-prose periodicals, and comic strips were the only way to go. Alf was retooled as just such a pictorial headliner and transferred to The Victor where he persevered until the publication folded. His last appearance was in 1992 in The Sunday Post. He was training for the then-imminent Barcelona Olympics… Common, rowdy, earthy and perpetually sticking it to the posh-boys who monopolised athletics, Tupper was also one of the greatest distance runners alive and fought prejudice, discrimination, poverty and especially privilege as he won races, medals and accolades. When he wasn’t running or eating fish and chips, Alf was an accomplished welder in the northern industrial town of Greystone, originally apprenticed to shifty, shiftless Ike Smith before eventually setting up in business for himself.

The lad was all about determination countering ill-fortune, adversity – or even enemy action – and he just hated to be beaten. When he occasionally was, he didn’t dwell on excuses, but resolved to win the rematch… The True Brit sporting legend apparently had a big influence on the development of many of our actual sporting greats, as seen from the ‘Foreword by Brendan Foster CBE’ and the background-stuffed ‘Introduction by Morris Heggie’ before the profusion of confusingly untitled treats begin – all apparently taken from assorted Victor Book for Boys Christmas Annuals and primarily illustrated by the superb and criminally un-acclaimed Peter Sutherland. The initial tale finds Alf training in the wee small hours along Greystone’s grimly cobbled streets. As he tells a wary beat copper, he is snatching what time he can because he has a rush job on but still needs to keep in shape for the Fenfield Mile where Olympic hopeful Guy Granger is in competition… The pace proves just too much and on the day Granger – a typical spoiled rich-boy – just pips Alf at the tape.

When they meet again in a record race at White City, the Tough makes certain this race goes his way… General picture quiz ‘A Question of Sport’ then leads neatly into another epic Tough of the Track tale as Ike ruins Alf’s leisurely trip to London (where he is entered in the 10,000 Metres at the European Championships) by putting his affable apprentice on a rush welding job. Forced to travel down on a milk train after hours of intense toil, Tupper is suckered by the devious tactics of the Nuroslavian champion Sturmer and has to settle for silver, but when a team-mate competing in the 5,000 Metres is injured, the now-rested Tough gets another shot at a gold medal… Another time, whilst hitching to a Mile race in Northcastle Alf discusses with the driver how he wants to run against National hope Harold Pilkington, but on arrival finds the devious rich boy refusing to compete.

Terrified of being shown up, the sneaky snob is completely unwilling to compete in a fair race but cannot weasel out when Tupper finds employment in his father’s factory just so he can “run him” at the annual Works Sports Day… When a vagrant wind blows Alf’s fish supper wrappings away from a bin, he falls foul of a litter-crazed policewoman, but later appreciates her stance after he steps on broken glass obscured by trash and is forced to quit running for a fortnight. At least he would have if there wasn’t a race that Saturday… Now just as obsessed, he spends the rest of his recuperation cleaning up the streets and making litter-louts behave themselves, but almost loses his next race when he stops in the final stretch to pick up paper blown onto the track… Another last-minute welding job almost ruins his shot at the international “Mile of the Century”. Oddly enough, the much-touted exhibition match is a dull affair because the other three contestants are equally debilitated for various reasons.

With the competitors as disappointed as the fans, Alf’s cheeky suggestion that they all enter for a local amateur Mile near the airport before flying home is met with huge enthusiasm and really pays off the local fans… One of the most well-regarded Tupper tales follows as the Tough overcomes all manner of pedestrian obstacles in his efforts to race again against mythic Iron Curtain running star Fedor Oranski. When their epic dash at White City resulted in a dead heat the great man invited his young rival to a return match in distant, dangerous totalitarian Rakovia. After getting his savings out and finagling a visa, the poor oaf is pick-pocketed at the airport and, rather than give in, stows away and enters the dictatorship illegally. Only a fortuitous last-second intervention by Oranski stops our kid ending up in a gulag or worse but at least this time when they run there’s a clear winner… Tupper’s character and demeanour were again a problem for some people when he was invited to join top British athletes at select training camp Granton Hall.

Despite his winning all the time, the snooty trainer – a former naval officer – objected to Alf’s attitude, discipline and apparent lack of team spirit… It resulted in him being dropped from the official British squad for a major international cross country event, but Alf simply competed as an independent, even though in the days before the race he was hospitalised after saving a man who had crashed his vehicle and become lost in a blizzard… A few tales have individual story titles. ‘The Winner Came in Eighth’ saw the runner targeted by the unscrupulous trainers of a leading French competitor who initially try to bribe and then simply kidnap Alf in advance of a big international race. This leads to a broadside of humorous sporting facts in ‘Football Fun’ before ‘The Tough of the Team’ finds the working-class hero in contention with an obnoxious American running for Granton Hall who takes an instant dislike to Alf and isn’t above employing dirty tricks to win. When Tupper is invited to run for the prestigious Old Milocarians against Granton, he has his chance for revenge but almost loses everything when he sacrifices his lead to save an endangered labourer stuck in a smokestack… The writers were always clever in finding ways to broaden the scope of stories.

‘The Runner from Long Ago’ offers an eerie mystery as Alf’s solitary training regimen finds him seemingly competing against the ghost of a celebrated distance runner from the 19th century after which another ‘A Question of Sport’ picture quiz leads Alf into a different kind of running dilemma as he saves a whippet from being drowned and is then targeted by shady gamblers trying to fix a big race. At one stage they even dope him just as he sets off on a calamitous 1500 metres run at a Miners Sports Meeting… More ‘A Question of Sport’ segues into to a nasty clash with rich, spoiled running rival Nigel Fenton who tries to hit Alf with his sports-car even as his equally vile father is attempting to fix a traction engine competition. When Alf allies with Colonel Fenton’s most feared opponent, sparks fly, steam explodes and both generations of bad men learn a much deserved lesson… When the off-his-form Tough of the Track decides to pit himself against French Steeplechase champion Jussac he gets distracted helping a Formula One driver repair his ailing car engine and his own race against the Continental suffers because of it.

Soon after, however, Alf hears of an all-comers event in Amsterdam and hitches to Holland in time to do himself proud despite some unhelpful strategic advice from his new motor racing friends… Rupert Snyke was both rich and a cheat but Alf “ran him” anyway. And when the cad’s dad tried to nobble a rival in a veteran car rally Tupper was on hand to offer a bit of engineering aid and still had time to pip Rupert to the tape in their rematch, after which one final bout of snob-bashing occurs when Alf travels to France for an all-comers event and stands in for an injured friend at an “It’s a Knockout” style competition of crazy games. All that whacky merriment and non-standard training stands him in good stead when wild weather threatens to wash out the proper athletics match though… With the strip dramas concluded everything wraps up with a brace of intellectual exercises as ‘Sports Quiz’ and the photo-packed ‘Alf Tupper’s Athletics Quiz’ test the readers’ memories. This is a wonderfully accessible slice of truly British nostalgia and a certain delight for every fan of sportsmanship and great comics. VICTOR™ and © D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.

2012. Associated text, characters and artwork © D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd. 2012. All rights reserved. Share this: Alf Tupper runs in the rain - officially approved screenprint Alf Tupper runs in the rain £ 40.00–£ 70.00 Alf Tupper runs in the rain. The Tough of the Track in his element. The speech bubble reads: “That’s enough for now. I’ll go and get me supper.” Alf, who was styled ‘The Tough Of The Track’, was the flagship character in The Victor comic, which ran from 1961 until the early 1990s. He actually started life in the all-text comic The Rover in the late 1950s, but transferred to the new picture-strip comic when it launched. He was a hero to several generations of British middle-distance runners, including Ron Hill, Brendan Foster and Steve Cram. Alf may have been from the wrong side of the tracks, but he was on the side of the angels and was indomitable – he embodied the virtues that the British liked to thing they embodied.

And of course he was a working-class hero – the phrase “The Tough of the Track” was a sort of pun – it referred to his humble background as much as his gritty determination in competition. His other signature characteristics were that he worked as a welder and lived under railway arches. He would train by running along the canal towpath. Each story would involve Alf battling against some kind of iniquity – often at the hands of posher grammar-school boys or public-school boys. They would cheat in some way, which would disadvantage Alf but he would always bounce back and win in the end. The phrase “I run ‘im,” would end many stories. I had a subscription to The Victor – most weeks the comic had an Alf Tupper story, which would run for several weeks. Then there would be a gap of a few weeks before the next one started again. I was always a bit disappointed if there wasn’t an Alf Tupper story. Handmade, limited edition screen print on cotton paper, mould-made at the St Cuthbert Mill in Wells, Somerset. 25cm x 19cm. Signed and numbered in pencil by the printer, John Patrick Reynolds © D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.

Alf Tupper - Tough of the Track March 23rd – April 6th – The Tough of the Track – Re hashed storyline from The Rover No. 1740 - November 1st 1958 with a different ending. Alf arrives in France having been selected as reserve for Great Britain in a cross country international fixture in Aubigny. He does not believe he should be reserve but travels with the team ( mostly Granton Hall men, with Commander Churcher as Team Manager ) anyway. He disagrees with the team captains plan to run as a team & not allow anyone to 'go for it', but is only reserve so goes along with things. Then he meets a lone American University runner who tells Alf that the race is open to individual entries as well as teams. Alf puts in his entry so as not to waste the trip. In the British team is Phil Rakes-Tyler described as a 'snobbish champion steeplechaser' & one of Alf's sworn enemies.

After checking into a 'posh' hotel ( I tend to think that Alf would have regarded sleeping in a Water Trough as 'too posh' ) & falling foul of Rakes_Tyler's criticism of his table manners, Alf wanders off into the local village where he spies a local lad working in a garage welding an engine block. Clearly ( he is a foreigner after all ! ) doing it all wrong, Alf shows him how it should be done & makes friends with the proprietor 'Poppa Hartman' who suggests that Alf 'comes back, no ?'. Back at the hotel, Rakes-Tyler announces that Alf has entered individually which means he might 'rob' one of the British team of vital team race points if he beats anyone. Alf points out caustically that as he is reserve, all the others must be better than him, so its not an issue. Commander Churcher lays down the law & banishes Alf from the Hotel much to Rakes-Tylers amusement. Alf goes back to Poppa Hartman & works for him until race day receiving bed, board & lots of food – no chips, this is France – from Mrs Hartmans kitchen.

Alf gets up early to see the 'Flying Finn' Vuurmi, practising on the course. He decides that the Finns tactics are going to be 'go for it ' at the front, none of this namby pamby running as a team. Alf resolves to get to the first bend first as the course narrows that & he wants to be in front of Vuurmi at that time. Rakes-Tyler falls & twists his ankle while training for the big day & the team need Alf to run in his place, but of course have told him not to return. They fail to find Alf at his new residence & resolve to keep his place open until the last minute. Of course, after a long wait Alf arrives & graciously agrees to put the problems of the trip behind him & run for the British team. But of course, he pretends not to hear the captain call out the race tactics & sets off in persuit of the Finn at the fornt of the field. For three laps Alf & Vuurmi battle it out, until Vuurmi falls behind, a beaten man. Unfortunately, Alf has used up all his reserves of energy & gets swallowed up by the chasing pack.

Alf's friend Reg Fry comes in third & Alf battles home in twelfth place to secure the winning points for Great Britain in the team race. Commander Churcher admits he was wrong to regard Alf as undisciplined & accepts that if it were not for Alf running Vuurmi 'into the ground', GB would never have beaten the Finnish team. So Alf's tactics were vindicated ! Alf then misses the plane home because he thinks 15:00 is Five O'Clock, & has to hitch hike across France. He enters a race in Remy in France, wins & gets befriended by the locals who feed him ( still no Chips ) & ask him to represent them in the local 'grudge match' against the neighbouring town of Vermont. In return for Victory the mayor offers him a boat trip home to England in his brothers boat. No sign of Alf eating snails, but you never know... 1965 Jan 16th – THE TOUGH ON THE YANKEE TRACKS – Alf in America !

( thanks to Stewart Morrison for this detail ) 1968 – Victor Book for Boys Alf gets a race against the World top milers from Scandinavia & USA, but they are jetlagged & he is tired from working the night shift due to Ike's laziness. The race is slow, Alf loses & everyone is left deflated. That is, until Alf gets a 'Fish & Chip fuelled' idea to race them a week later, before they are due to fly home. Its a fast race & everyone is happy as Alf wins & breaks the world record. 1969 – Victor Book for Boys Alf races against the Rakovian champion, Fedor Oranski at the White City. The race is a dead heat so Alf travels to Rakovia for a re-match. Unfortunately, on the way there he has his wallet pinched so has to stowaway on board an aircraft. Upon arrival at Grovic (as you will recall,the Rakovian capital) he gets arrested as a spy and is about to be interrogated by the secret police when he delivers a punch to the Rakovian Colonel's nose ("Keep you hands to yourself baldy!").

In a timely intervention Alf is revealed to be the famous British runner, given a compensatory plate of fish and chips (darned resourceful these Eastern Block chaps) and is rushed to the state sports stadium in the nick of time to run against Oranski in the 1500 metres – Thanks to 'Blogger' from forum for this detail. 1970 Oct 10th – The Tough of the Track – Alf forms his own Athletics Club to take on Greystone Harriers. Alf is disgruntled when he is left out of the Greystone Harriers team for the Clebbury Road Relay. He decides to enter with his own team made up of boxers from the local club. He trains them & the team look set to do well, until Alf's old friend Clem Johnson, local reporter, tells him that his entry has been rejected because his new team “Tuppers Trotters” are not an affiliated club. “Nuts to that” says Alf ! His team can run unofficially because the race is being held on public roads & the papers are full of the news when race day arrives.

The “Trotters' look to be in bad shape & are well behind until the 5th leg when Alf's collegue “Tig” runs a stormer to bring the Trotters into 5th place with only Alf left to run on the final leg. Inevitably Alf overhauls Greystone Harriers, Athletic Club de Paris & the hated 'Granton Hall' posh blokes to win ( unofficially of course ) the Relay. “You can keep your blooming medals, everyone knows that my blokes were the real winners”. Alf is a hero to the Boxing club members, as the race generates excellent publicity for them & they receive offers of fights all over the country. 1973 June 23rd – issue 644 - “The Rough Tough boyhood of Alf Tupper” – A 'prequel' series. Alf, an orphan, is 12 years old & has been sent to an “Industrial School” called Thorn House, a magistrate having decided that he was in need of 'care & attention'. Discipline problems arise due to the Head teachers view that pupils should be given total freedom. Alf falls foul of the school bully Butch Harden & his gang.

A roof top protest by Butch causes the Head to sack the staff who have Alf 'under their wing', giving him welding lessons & allowing him to train for his running. Alf is punished for fighting by being banned from running & welding for 6 months. He runs away into the night... July 7th – issue 646 - “The Rough Tough boyhood of Alf Tupper” – continues 1974 January ? - “Alf Tuppers Castle” – Mentioned on ComicsUK forum. The correspondent suggests that the storyline related to Alf's boyhood again October - issue 764 - “Rough Tough Summer for Alf Tupper” Again, this is noted on the ComicsUK web site forum, as being concerned with Alf's boyhood, but the date is only approximate. 1975 – Victor Summer Special - Alf Brings Home The Bacon ( Thanks to Colin Noble ) 13 yr old Alf goes to Summer Camp, at Bellfield Castle, paid for by the council. He is not happy, as the place is paid for by the council, which he sees as charity. He uses the week as a training week to improve his running, but runs foul of two local yobs.

The yobs taunt him as he easily win the Schoolboy’s Mile and decides to run in the Open Mile, where first prize is a huge haunch of ham. The yobs pair off and deliberately stop the local veteran, Harland, from winning by ‘nudging’ him, so that they can win the ham and make some money out of it. Alf, being pre-warned, decides to tuck in behind the pair and gets ready to thwart their plan, by being ready to catch the remaining lout. After a terrific burst of speed, Alf pips the remaining lout to the post and wins the race. The ham? He donates that to Mr Harland, so that Harland can continue his annual practice of donating the ham to the local old folks home, thus allowing Alf to call it all square with the council paying for his place on the camp. 1977 September 17th - “He's in the army now” - Originally the title for the ninth series, from the 'Rover'. Alf gets hurt in an accident with some tear gas & burns his hands.

He runs in a 200m race & comes second, then wins the 1500 & anchors the 4x400 relay team to victory despite his hand injuries, by holding the baton in his mouth. Great storyline ! 1980 – No story in this series, but Alf is being 'touted' as the new 'host' of “Tuppers Talk-in ” an advertised readers letters page – see stories index for details. ( see this link 'Alf Tupper confession' where a student confesses to 'hoodwinking' Alf into giving him a prize :-) 1985 Victor Summer Special ( Thanks to Colin Noble ) The Tough Of The Track Alf is running the 1500m at Crystal Palace and seems to have the race sewn up until a complete unknown steams past him to take first place! The winner is Christopher Good, who is being trained scientifically by Professor Martin. Alf is invited to Farleigh House to see how the training is undertaken, but the whole life of the athlete is dictated by the computer, down to even the diet. On a meal of lettuce and carrots, Alf is not best pleased!

And again, when he races Good, he is beaten to the tape. Alf, a worried man, heads back to Greystone and wonders if he is past it. However, a familiar aroma reminds Alf that silicon is not the only thing to be chipped! At the next meeting of Alf and Good, Alf storms off into the lead, and Good is forced to keep with him, but the murderous pace that Alf sets is too much and Alf proves that it was fish and chips that he needed not silicon chips! 1986 Victor Summer special ( Thanks to Colin Noble ) The Tough Of The Track Alf sees an article in a local newspaper, claiming that a Samuel Granger ran around Hillstone Lake, a distance of 5,123 metres (3.1 miles) in 13 mins 38 seconds in 1920. Samuel Granger sets up a prize fund to be donated to the charity the runner, capable of equalling or bettering his time, nominates. This prize is offered as no-one believes Samuel’s assertion that he saw a monster on that day!

Ken Waters, an instructor at Ashdale Youth Centre is trying to train his runners to win the prize, as it is needed to carry out repairs to the Youth Centre. Alf is more than happy to donate the money to the Centre, so Ken enlists his fit but not fast enough runners to help Alf beat the record. Despite his best efforts, Alf is still 30 secs off the time, but decides to give it a go anyway. On the day, he goes flat out, but still is outside the time needed, until a shape appears from out of the water… A monster appears! Alf loses all signs of tiredness and goes headlong for the tapes, breaking the record by 5 seconds! The monster is nothing more than a stunt pulled by the young runners to help Alf beat the record. Alf then sees that Samuel set the record in April 1920, on the first to be precise ! 1987 Victor Summer Special ( Thanks to Colin Noble ) The Tough Of The Track Alf has a good night’s training and celebrates with a portion of Sam Kessick’s best fish and chips.

In true Alf fashion, he scoffs the lot and throws the papers away, where he is accosted and told off by ‘Battling Betty’, a local no-nonsense WPC, for littering. As a result of Betty’s lecture and then treading on a piece of broken glass, Alf becomes a convert. The broken glass lays Alf up for several days, but once again he is fit to run and sees a pair of yobs kicking a glass bottle about and smash it against a lamp-post. Incensed, Alf makes the yobs, who are initially reluctant, to pick up the broken glass. On the day of the race, Alf is steaming ahead, but is distracted by a flying piece of litter. He grabs the litter and gets back on track to win the race! 1988 Victor Summer Special ( Thanks to Colin Noble ) One off feature - “Your Chance to be a Tough” Stretching & warm-up excercises recommended by Alf himself. Strange really, as I would have thought Alf would be the type to completely 'pooh pooh' warm-up excercises, in favour of yet another newspaper full of chips instead ! Same edition...

The Tough Of The Track Alf has a new fan, a wheelchair bound athletics fan, Tony Black. Alf sees an advert for a holiday cruise. He offers to win it for Tony and his dad. As he lines up for the first heat, Alf hears a familiar name, but can’t place it, until the final, when he realises 3 runners, Wragg, Carter and Henderson work a scam to run the race so that they can win all the prizes. Alf is tripped, boxed-in and elbowed, but they still can’t keep him down. Alf wins the race, only to let rip and smack the luckless trio for their cheating ways on the track. As a result of the ‘boxing lesson’, the free prize is withdrawn, but Alf goes on his own cruise to earn enough money to send Tony and his Dad on a Spanish holiday ! 1990 Summer Special edition - One off story - “Gritting his teeth & heading for the tape, its the Tough of the Track”. A 'bulked-up' Alf Tupper is pictured on the cover 1991 Summer Special edition – One off story - “The Tough visits Crystal Palace”.

1992 Last ever episode of “Tough of the Track” ? According to Colin Noble this was published in the Sunday Post – a Scottish newspaper owned by DC Thomson – in which Alf travels to Seoul for the 1992 Olympic Games. Alf had run in the Olympic trials but had been 'nobbled' by the Uncle of the Grimston borthers whom Alf did not like one bit. Luckily for Alf, the third person selected injured himself & Alf was in the team. Alf receives an apology from the Grimston brothers at the Olympic team members meeting & grudgingly accepts it. He informs the chairman of the team that he intends to run a race that weekend at a meeting held to raise money for the Greystone Youth Club. Alf is told in no uncertain terms not to run as it will risk his Olympic place. Alf tells waiting TV crews at the stadium, that he doesnt care what the chairman says , he is going to run as he gave his word. The press highlight the story on the front pages but Alf refuses to back down despite requests from his physio Dave Chance. The chairman reiterates that if Alf runs, he will forfeit his place in the team for Barcelona.

In the race, Alf wins but is accidentally 'spiked' at the finish. He hobbles off the track. But persuades the management to allow him to go to Barcelona. In his heat, he feels terrible pain from his injured foot but refuses to tell anyone that he is injured except his physio Dave. Dave advises Alf to pull-out with the injury as his foot has swollen too much for Alf to get his spikes on. Alf takes a gamble when the room cleaner offers him a 'miracle' potion to clear-up his foot injury. Alf applies the potion but is instantly in agony. Alf removes his spikes as he lines up for the semi-final to stop them rubbing on his swollen foot. He runs an easy race allowing Grimston to win but qualifies for the final vowing to beat Grimston for the Gold medal. You can guess what happens after that :-) The Hornet – early 70's An interesting piece of information from the message forum on ComicsUK, suggests that a story featuring Alf Tupper, together with Bernard Briggs* ( Sporting Scrap dealer ), called 'King of Scrapland'. Appeared in the Hornet comic at this time.

* Bernard (Bouncing) Briggs was a powerful young fellow who earned his living as a General Dealer, who appeared in the Wizard, Hotspur & Hornet comics. He had a yard of his own in Slagton, and he rode a motor bike with a sidecar made from an old bathtub. He was a keen amateur sportsman taking up various sports including: Baseball, Boxing, Football, Ice Hockey, Rugby League, Tennis and Wrestling. Bernard excelled at all the sports he tried. ( courtesy of Vic Whittle ) Victor the Best of Alf Tupper the Tough of the Track : Morris Heggie : 9781853758614 Try AbeBooks Description The Tough of the Track was The Victor's most popular hero, having instilled the competitive spirit into millions of British lads for over 50 years. A welder who worked under railway arches, Alf Tupper survived on a diet of fish and chips. He was always the underdog, running against posh toffs who devised underhand ways of keeping him off the winner's rostrum.

Although Alf often looked beaten, he nearly always came through in the final few strides, exclaiming "I've run him!" as he breasted the winning tape in a photo-finish. Published in the year the Olympic Games returns to Britain, this nostalgic anthology will not only be the perfect gift for the millions of men whose love of sport was kindled in their youth by Alf Tupper, but will also enthrall and inspire a new generation of boys to go and win against all the odds. show more Product details 192 x 276 x 16mm | 621.42g Publication date

Question: How was Alf Tupper known in the boy's comic 'Victor'?
Answer: The Tough of the Track